In America, divorce rates are at an all-time high. Divorce between parents of elementary school students can be devastating in a child's life. Divorce causes stress for children not only at home, but also at school. Children of divorced or separated parents often have to move from one home to another. Not only do they have to deal with the pain of parental separation, but they may also feel as if they caused their parents' problems. Parental divorce has negative effects on children's academic performance, social life, and success throughout their lives, particularly for elementary school students (Neighbor, 1992; Tucker, Friedman, Schwartz, Criqui, Tomlinson-Keasey, Wingard & Martin, 1997; Kinard & Reinherz, 1986). As with any child, a sudden change in home life can be a difficult adjustment. During school, the child's academic performance can be negatively affected by parental divorce. Having divorced parents isn't their fault yet; they have to suffer from the stress it causes. Usually, students' grades drop and they can also become very emotional. Neighbor (1992) demonstrates that children from divorced families have lower academic achievement than children whose parents stayed together. It is believed that boys and girls often approach divorce differently. According to Neighbor (1992), during the year following divorce the average rate for girls remained higher than for boys whose parents divorced. Marital difficulties have significant effects on children's literacy skills, overall academic performance, and productivity based on teachers' opinions (Kinard & Reinherz, 1986). If a child's parents divorce before they start school, the child is less likely to show signs of distress, sadness and emotional turmoil following the divorce. The......middle of paper......Journal of Marriage and Family, 48(2), 285-293.Mustonen, U., Huurre, T., Kiviruusu, O., Haukkala, A. and Aro, H. (2011). Long-term impact of parental divorce on the quality of intimate relationships in adulthood and the mediating role of psychosocial resources. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(4), 615-619. doi:10.1037/a0023996Neighbors, B., Forehand, R., & Armistead, L. (1992). Is parental divorce a critical stressor for young adolescents? Adolescence, 27(107), 639-646. Stroschein, L., (2005). Parental divorce and children's mental health journeys. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(5), 1286.Tucker, J.S., Friedman, H.S., Schwartz, J.E., Criqui, M.H., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Wingard, D.L., & Martin, L.R. (1997). Parental divorce: Effects on individual behavior and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 381-391. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.2.381